Senior Software Engineer (SSE)
Interview Date
April 2024
Result
Offer
Difficulty
Medium (DSA), Hard (DSA Follow-ups), High-Level De
Rounds
6 rounds (Phone Screen + 5 Onsite Rounds)
Drive Type
Full-Time/Off-Campus
Topics asked
Detailed experience
College: Not Specified
Interview Date: April 2024
Interview Type: Full-Time/Off-Campus
Result: Offer
Difficulty: Medium (DSA), Hard (DSA Follow-ups), High-Level Design, Concurrency
Rounds: 6 rounds (Phone Screen + 5 Onsite Rounds)
Topics Asked: CS Fundamentals (Networking, OS, DBMS - Paging, Caching), Data Structures & Algorithms (Dynamic Programming, Two Pointers, Trees (DFS/BFS), Graphs, Blocking Queue design), High-Level Design (Top N posts in last 5 min, 1hr, 24hr), Concurrency (Blocking Queue design, logic and code), Behavioral, Projects deep dive
The candidate, an SDE2 at a FAANG company with 4.5 YOE, reached out to a recruiter via LinkedIn for an opening in the infra team. A phone screen was scheduled after two weeks.
Phone Screen (1 Hr)
After introductions, the interview began with CS fundamental questions on networking, OS, and DBMS (e.g., Paging, Caching). This was followed by one Leetcode medium-level Dynamic Programming (DP) question with a follow-up. The recruiter confirmed the round was cleared on the same day.
Round 1 (DSA) (1 hr)
Two medium-difficulty questions were asked: one involving two pointers and the other from dynamic programming.
Round 2 (DSA) (1 hr)
The first question involved trees, requiring concepts of DFS/BFS, and was later extended for graphs, though only the tree problem needed to be coded. The second problem was a graph problem solved using two-way BFS. Both were medium-level, but their follow-ups were hard.
Round 3 (HLD) (1 hr)
This round involved designing a system to show the top N posts (in the last 5 minutes, 1 hour, and 24 hours) that are being shared by users.
Round 4 (Concurrency) (1 hr)
The candidate was asked to design a Blocking Queue, with expectations to provide both the logic and the code, similar to a DSA interview.
Round 5 (HM) (1 hr)
This round involved a discussion about past projects from previous companies, with a deep dive into one specific project. Several behavioral questions were also asked. Three days later, the recruiter called to convey positive overall feedback, leading to an offer.